On November 20, 2012, a 19-year-old woman named Sage Smith left her apartment in Charlottesville, Virginia to meet someone for a date. She told her roommate she’d be back later that night. A family member saw her walking toward downtown around 6:35 in the evening, talking on her phone, saying she’d be “there” in five minutes. That was the last confirmed sighting. Sage’s phone went dark shortly after, and she never came home. More than thirteen years later, the case remains classified as a homicide. Sage’s body has never been recovered. No one has been arrested.
This is the story of what happened — what we know, what we don’t, and the people who have refused to let Sage be forgotten.
Who Was Sage Smith?
Sage was born Dashad Laquinn Smith on December 13, 1992, in Charlottesville, Virginia to parents Latasha Dennis and Dean Smith. Her parents separated when she was young, and her father was incarcerated on a drug charge during part of her childhood. Both parents eventually remarried, giving Sage a large, blended extended family of step-siblings and half-siblings.
Sage was primarily raised by her paternal grandmother, Lolita “Cookie” Smith, in the Garrett Square housing complex — an affordable housing neighborhood in one of Charlottesville’s lower-income areas. Cookie was a fixture in her community, serving on the tenants’ association and participating in the residential patrol. The bond between Sage and her grandmother was the foundation of Sage’s life. They were, by every account, inseparable.
When Sage was around 12, she and Cookie moved to the Fifeville neighborhood, where Sage met Shakira Washington — a girl who lived two doors down and would become one of her closest friends. Sage was eventually returned to her mother’s care, but when Latasha was deemed unfit, Sage entered the foster system. It was another layer of instability in a childhood that had already seen more than its share.
Despite all of that, Sage was magnetic. Everyone who knew her describes the same person — charismatic, funny, warm, fiercely loyal, and impossible to ignore. She was passionate about fashion and never left the house without looking put together. She made YouTube dance videos in high school. She dreamed of becoming a professional hairdresser and was enrolled in cosmetology school. In 2011, she became the first person in her family to graduate from high school.
In her teens, Sage came out as transgender, identifying as a woman and describing herself as gender fluid. Her family had known she was gay from a young age, and most of them were simply waiting for Sage to feel ready to say it. The support wasn’t universal — her father Dean initially cut off contact after Sage came out, a decision he’s spoken about publicly with deep regret. That rift was eventually repaired after Dean’s youngest son confronted him about the contradiction between the values he taught his children and the way he was treating Sage. Dean and Sage reconnected, and their relationship was mending in the months before her disappearance.
Being an openly transgender woman in Charlottesville came with real danger. Sage experienced harassment and bullying. She was careful by nature — she wouldn’t walk home alone, wouldn’t go somewhere with someone she didn’t know. She was aware of the risks her identity carried and took precautions.
By the spring of 2012, Sage was building a life that looked like hope. With assistance from the foster care system, she moved into her own apartment on Harris Street with friends Shakira Washington and Aubrey Carson. They called the place “The Dollhouse Mansion” for its pink walls. Sage had a job at a hair salon. She was taking cosmetology classes. And just weeks before she disappeared, she changed her gender on Facebook from male to female — a public, permanent declaration. Her grandmother said she’d never seen Sage happier.
The Night Before: November 19, 2012
The evening before Sage vanished, she and her roommates hosted a birthday party at The Dollhouse Mansion for Shakira’s 19th birthday. During the gathering, an uninvited guest arrived looking for a fight with one of Sage’s friends. The confrontation escalated and spilled outside the apartment, where Sage got into a physical altercation with an acquaintance named Jamel Smith. Police were called around 11:20 PM. Jamel filed a report alleging Sage had damaged his car, but no arrests were made.
The aftermath created tension in the apartment. Shakira felt Sage was upset with her for not stepping in during the fight. She called friends in Norfolk, Virginia, and left the next morning. By the time November 20 arrived, the only person in the apartment with Sage was her other roommate, Aubrey Carson.
November 20, 2012: The Day Sage Disappeared
The morning started normally. Sage called her father Dean to congratulate him on the anniversary of his release from incarceration and asked him for some money. She was looking forward to Thanksgiving the next day — she had planned a surprise visit to her mother’s new house in Louisa County to see her stepsisters. Her mother Latasha tried reaching Sage several times throughout the day by phone and text, but Sage didn’t respond.
By late afternoon, Sage was getting ready for a date. She had been communicating with someone she’d met online — exchanging texts and calls over the preceding weeks. They had plans to meet near the Amtrak station on West Main Street that evening.
The timeline, reconstructed from phone records and witness statements, unfolds like this:
Around 5:17 PM, Sage and the person she was meeting began texting. He told her he was already out and at the Hampton Inn. They exchanged messages back and forth for roughly twenty minutes.
At 5:40 PM, Sage woke Aubrey, who was sleeping on the living room couch, and told her she was heading out and would be back later. She left the apartment.
Between 6:08 and 6:27 PM, the person she was meeting sent multiple texts asking where she was, growing increasingly frustrated. At 6:27, he sent a message indicating she had stood him up. During this same window, Sage was on a phone call with a friend and may not have seen the incoming texts.
At 6:35 PM, Sage’s stepsister Keyera Morgan happened to spot her walking near the intersection of 4th Street NW and West Main Street. Sage was on her phone and Keyera overheard her say she would be “there” in five minutes.
At approximately 6:40 PM, Sage was seen walking westbound on West Main Street toward the Amtrak station.
After that point, Sage was never definitively seen again.
A witness named Monica Williams came forward in February 2013, months after the disappearance, to say she believed she saw Sage at the Wild Wings Café — a restaurant attached to the Amtrak station building — around 7:00 PM that evening. She described Sage as sitting alone at the bar, appearing to wait for someone. However, the café had no security cameras, and the sighting could not be verified.
Sage’s phone has been off ever since that night. Every call has gone directly to voicemail. When Aubrey woke up later that evening, the apartment was empty. She tried calling Sage and got nothing. By the next morning — Thanksgiving Day — Sage still hadn’t returned. Aubrey contacted friends and family. Cookie knew immediately that something was wrong. Sage never went anywhere without her phone charger. She always responded to calls and texts. This kind of silence was completely out of character.
Sage’s surprise Thanksgiving visit never happened. Her stepsisters never got their surprise. Latasha found out her daughter was missing not from a phone call, but from a Facebook post.
Erik McFadden
The identity of the person Sage was meeting that evening — the person on the other end of those text messages — was uncovered not by the police, but by Sage’s own family.
After Sage was reported missing, her family guessed her phone account password and accessed her records. They identified the last number Sage had been in contact with: an unfamiliar, out-of-state number. Sage’s father Dean posted it on Facebook, asking if anyone recognized it.
A man named Yami Ortiz responded. He told Dean the number belonged to Erik McFadden, a man Ortiz had been in contact with himself. Ortiz shared a critical detail: on November 21 — the day after Sage disappeared and before anyone had even filed a missing persons report — McFadden had contacted Ortiz and asked him to delete all of McFadden’s contact information from his phone. No reason given.
As the family dug deeper, a picture of the relationship between Sage and McFadden began to emerge. They had met online, likely through a Craigslist Casual Encounters ad. McFadden, who was approximately 21 at the time, was in a relationship with a woman named Esther Iveni and was not publicly out about his sexuality. Money had been exchanging hands between McFadden and Sage, though the exact nature of those payments — whether related to secrecy, blackmail, or something else — has never been fully clarified.
Dean initially kept what the family had found from police, fearing they would shut down his own investigation. But on November 23, Ortiz informed McFadden that people were looking for Sage and looking at him. That’s when McFadden’s behavior changed.
On November 24, Esther requested a welfare check on McFadden. Police found his apartment empty. His employer confirmed he hadn’t shown up to work in three days. That same day, Ortiz went to police and shared everything he knew.
Investigators searched the apartment McFadden shared with Esther, with her consent. During the search, they found a CVS receipt dated November 22 — two days after Sage disappeared. Surveillance footage from the store confirmed McFadden was still in Charlottesville at that point. He didn’t leave town when Sage vanished. He left after his name became public.
What followed was a pattern of evasion that would stretch across years.
On November 25, McFadden called Esther from Washington, D.C., asking for money. On November 27, he called the Charlottesville Police Department from New York City. In this first conversation with investigators, McFadden confirmed his relationship with Sage and said they had arranged to meet near the Amtrak station, but he claimed the meeting never took place. When investigators asked him to return to Charlottesville for an in-person interview, he hung up.
Esther later told police McFadden had agreed to return by bus. An hour and a half before the bus was scheduled to depart, he emailed her to say he’d changed his mind.
In December 2012, Esther provided police with an email McFadden had sent her containing a dramatically different version of events. In this account, McFadden said he did meet Sage that evening. He claimed they were walking together when a group of people approached them. He said Sage had “enemies” and that he walked away before anything happened. He also alleged Sage had been blackmailing him, threatening to tell Esther about their relationship. He said he was heading to the Midwest and apologized for hurting her.
Two stories. One in which they never met. One in which they did, but strangers intervened. Both from the same man, within weeks of each other.
McFadden made sporadic contact with Esther through 2013, always through disposable email accounts he abandoned after a single use. After 2013, even Esther stopped hearing from him. Erik McFadden, for all practical purposes, disappeared.
In a surprising turn, the Charlottesville Police Department announced in 2014 that McFadden was no longer considered a suspect. Their reasoning centered on his digital footprint: they determined his timeline didn’t support the conclusion that he had time to commit a criminal act that night. They noted he didn’t own a car, didn’t drive, and lived in a densely populated area.
The family was devastated. The community was frustrated. And the case went cold.
But in March 2017, police reversed course. McFadden was re-designated as a person of interest — this time framed primarily as a potential witness. Around the same time, the department revealed that Sage’s case had been quietly reclassified from a missing persons investigation to a homicide in December 2016.
In June 2019, McFadden’s own mother filed a missing persons report, telling police she hadn’t heard from her son since 2014 and believed he might be dead. Possible sightings were reported in Baltimore, Atlanta, Lake City (South Carolina), New York, Rochester, and cities on the West Coast. None led anywhere.
Then, on November 20, 2025 — the thirteenth anniversary of Sage’s disappearance — Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis announced a breakthrough. Detectives had located Erik McFadden in Los Angeles. When they found him, he was in the process of legally changing his name to Shiloh Mathis — one of several aliases investigators already suspected he’d been using. Police also identified two additional possible aliases: Frank Hargrave and Miles Bakari.
Detectives flew to California and conducted a voluntary, hour-long interview with McFadden. The contents of that interview have not been made public. Police say they learned “a lot” but are keeping the details close as the investigation continues. Chief Kochis stated the case is “active and very fluid,” and when asked whether police were concerned about losing track of McFadden again, he responded: “We found him this time. We’ll find him.”
No arrest has been made.
The Investigation: Searches and Setbacks
In the weeks and months following Sage’s disappearance, investigators conducted multiple searches across the Charlottesville area and beyond.
Grid searches covered Main Street and the surrounding blocks — open lots, dumpsters, trashcans, parking areas. Officers canvassed businesses near the Amtrak station looking for surveillance footage, but almost none had cameras pointed in the right direction. The only potentially useful camera was a traffic camera, and it yielded nothing actionable.
Searches expanded to Harris Street, the UVA campus area, and the neighborhood around McFadden’s apartment. In December 2012, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and cadaver dogs from the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association swept streets, railroad tracks, and wooded areas near Main Street and McFadden’s residence. One cadaver dog gave a “slight indication” — a partial alert — but the lead did not develop further. A dive team searched a sediment pond in the area and found nothing.
The most extensive search targeted a landfill in Henrico County, roughly 60 miles from Charlottesville. Investigators determined that trash from the dumpster behind McFadden’s apartment building would have been transported there. More than a dozen personnel — including forensic teams, hazmat crews, police dogs, and a retired Special Agent experienced in landfill recovery — spent days searching the site. Nothing connected to Sage was found.
In May 2018, a forensic team returned to Sage’s former Harris Street apartment and conducted a multi-day examination. The results of that search have not been publicly disclosed.
The investigation also drew significant criticism from the Smith family and the broader community. Cookie reported difficulty getting return calls from investigators during the first week. Aubrey Carson, the last person to see Sage before she left, said it took more than two weeks for police to conduct a formal interview with her. At one point, investigators were advised to secure the dumpsters near McFadden’s apartment to preserve potential evidence, but trash collection was allowed to proceed on its normal schedule — a failure the department has never publicly explained.
When the family requested a face-to-face meeting with the police chief, the meeting took nine months to be scheduled. A subsequent police chief acknowledged to the family that officers had “dropped the ball.”
The family and community also raised pointed questions about whether Sage’s race and gender identity affected the urgency and resources devoted to her case. The 2014 disappearance of Hannah Graham — a white University of Virginia student — triggered what became the largest and most expensive search in Virginia history and generated wall-to-wall national media coverage. The contrast was not lost on Sage’s family. Cookie asked publicly: “Where are the stories about my grandchild? Where are the thousands of volunteers?”
A petition was circulated calling for regular communication with the family, expanded investigative focus, a public apology for mishandling, and media respect for Sage’s name and pronouns.
Other Persons of Interest and Unanswered Questions
While Erik McFadden has been the central figure of interest throughout the investigation, other threads in this case have never been fully resolved.
Aubrey Carson, Sage’s roommate and the last person to see her before she left the apartment, has drawn scrutiny over the years. On December 3, 2012, she was discovered using Sage’s food stamp card at a convenience store. She explained that the roommates routinely shared their belongings, though the situation raised concerns among family members and investigators. When Shakira Washington was re-interviewed in 2016, she told police she didn’t believe Aubrey was being fully honest and was uncomfortable with how quickly Aubrey had begun using Sage’s things. Sage’s stepsister Keyera described a competitive dynamic between the two roommates and characterized Aubrey as jealous of Sage.
Perhaps most notably, Aubrey initially told police she had only met McFadden once, briefly, in passing on Main Street. Investigators later determined this was not accurate — Aubrey, Sage, and McFadden had all been together the Saturday before Sage’s disappearance, a meeting Aubrey never disclosed. Police characterized her behavior as “indicative of someone hiding something,” though no physical evidence connects Aubrey to Sage’s disappearance.
Jamel Smith, the acquaintance Sage fought with at Shakira’s birthday party the night before she vanished, has also remained a loose thread. He was reportedly upset about the altercation and did not have a verified alibi for the evening of November 20. However, police have been unable to locate Jamel to conduct a proper interview.
Sage’s broader personal life also raised investigative questions. She had previous relationships with closeted men, at least one of which turned violent. A former partner attacked Sage after his girlfriend discovered their relationship through emails. That man was eventually cleared — he was incarcerated at the time of Sage’s disappearance — but the pattern illustrated the real dangers Sage navigated in her personal life. Closeted men with something to lose, the currency of secrecy, and the ever-present threat of exposure.
What Thirteen Years Has Cost
The toll of this case on Sage’s family is immeasurable.
In the months after Sage disappeared, Cookie began receiving phone calls from a blocked number between 1:00 and 3:00 in the morning, multiple nights a week. When she answered — and she always answered — there was silence on the other end. No voice. No explanation. The calls only stopped when Cookie lost her phone and got a new number. She never learned who was calling or why.
Cookie’s health has deteriorated significantly. She was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has undergone triple bypass surgery. The woman who raised Sage, organized vigils, gave interviews, and fought for answers when the system wouldn’t return her calls has been carrying this weight in her body for over a decade.
Dean Smith has spoken openly about the guilt he carries — not about the investigation, but about the months he spent estranged from Sage after she came out as transgender. He reconnected with his daughter before she disappeared, but the lost time haunts him. He’s said he wishes he could have been there for her from the beginning.
Sage’s stepsister Eanna has spoken about the milestones Sage has missed — Eanna’s high school graduation, her driver’s license, growing up. She was a child when Sage disappeared. She’s an adult now. At a press conference, Eanna said through tears that this has gone on far too long.
Where Things Stand
As of 2026, the case remains classified as an active homicide investigation. Erik McFadden has been located and interviewed. He is believed to still be in Los Angeles, possibly using one of his known aliases. No arrest has been made. Sage’s remains have never been found.
The Charlottesville Police Department, working with local, state, and federal partners including the FBI, says it is re-interviewing other persons of interest and re-examining existing evidence using forensic technology and capabilities that were not available in 2012.
A $20,000 reward remains in place — $10,000 through Crime Stoppers and $10,000 matched by the City of Charlottesville — for information leading to an arrest in Sage’s case or the recovery of her remains.
How You Can Help
If you have any information about the disappearance of Sage Smith — or if you have had any contact with Erik McFadden (also known as Shiloh Mathis, Frank Hargrave, or Miles Bakari) at any point since 2012 — please reach out:
- Charlottesville Police Department: Detective Cundiff at (434) 970-3373
- Email: cpdtips@charlottesville.gov
- Crime Stoppers (anonymous): (434) 977-4000
You may remain anonymous.
Sage Smith was 19 years old when she disappeared. She is described as 5’11”, approximately 130 pounds, with black hair usually worn in braids and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, dark gray sweatpants, a black scarf, and gray and black rain boots with pink and purple lining. If alive today, Sage would be 33 years old.
Cookie, Sage’s grandmother, said it best: “We just want our baby back. One way or another.”
If you know something, don’t stay silent.
Have thoughts on this story or other cases you’d like to see highlighted? Share them with us in the comments or connect with us on social media. Together, we can ensure that stories like this one are never forgotten.
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Resources:
References: The Disappearance of Sage Smith
Law Enforcement & Government Sources
Charlottesville Police Department. (2021, November 20). CPD continues to seek leads regarding Dashad “Sage” Smith homicide [Press release]. City of Charlottesville. CPD Continues to Seek Leads Regarding Dashad “Sage” Smith Homicide
Charlottesville Police Department. (2025, November 18). Charlottesville Police Department to hold press conference on Dashad “Sage” Smith case [Press release]. City of Charlottesville. Charlottesville Police Department to Hold Press Conference on Dashad “Sage” Smith Case
News Sources — Local (Charlottesville)
Eisenberg, E. (2017, July 24). ‘I am a girl now,’ Sage Smith wrote. Then she went missing. Splinter News. ‘I Am a Girl Now,’ Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing.
Hammack, L. (2025, November 20). 13 years after Sage Smith went missing, Charlottesville police track down person of interest. The Daily Progress. 13 years after Sage Smith went missing, Charlottesville police track down person of interest
Hephner, J. (2025, November 20). CPD finds person of interest in Dashad “Sage” Smith case. Cville Right Now. CPD finds person of interest in Dashad “Sage” Smith case – Cville Right Now
McKenzie, B. (2018, May 7). Charlottesville police hope TV show leads to clues on whereabouts of Sage Smith. The Daily Progress. Charlottesville police hope TV show leads to clues on whereabouts of Sage Smith
McKenzie, B. (2020, November 20). CPD still seeking info on 8-year mark of Sage Smith’s disappearance. The Daily Progress. CPD still seeking info on 8-year mark of Sage Smith’s disappearance
C-VILLE Weekly. (2013, November 19). One year after Dashad ‘Sage’ Smith’s disappearance, search continues—for two men. One year after Dashad ‘Sage’ Smith’s disappearance, search continues—for two men – C-VILLE Weekly
C-VILLE Weekly. (2014, November 19). Two years after Sage Smith’s disappearance, family wants answers over discrepancies in missing person cases. Two years after Sage Smith’s disappearance, family wants answers over discrepancies in missing person cases
C-VILLE Weekly. (2014, December 24). Details in Sage Smith disappearance come to light. UPDATED: Details in Sage Smith disappearance come to light – C-VILLE Weekly
C-VILLE Weekly. (2015, November 20). Grim anniversary: Sage Smith’s family surprised with latest police theories. Grim anniversary: Sage Smith’s family surprised with latest police theories – C-VILLE Weekly
News Sources — Regional & State
CBS19 News. (2014, December). Court documents shed light on the disappearance of Dashad “Sage” Smith. Court documents shed light on the disappearance of Dashad “Sage” Smith
CBS19 News. (2025, November 21). CPD: Detectives find person of interest in Smith case. CPD: Detectives find person of interest in Smith case | News | cbs19news.com
NBC29 / WVIR. (2025, November 21). Charlottesville Police say they found person of interest in Dashad ‘Sage’ Smith case. Charlottesville Police say they found person of interest in Dashad ‘Sage’ Smith case
WRIC ABC 8News. (2019, June 28). Missing man sought in connection with transgender teen’s unsolved homicide. Missing man sought in connection with transgender teen’s unsolved homicide | WRIC ABC 8News
NewsRadio WINA. (2019, June 28). Police file “missing person” report for Sage Smith person of interest Erik McFadden. Police file “missing person” report for Sage Smith person of interest Erik McFadden | 106.1 The Corner
NewsRadio WINA. (2018, May 9). Charlottesville Police put out new appeal for tips to find Sage Smith. Charlottesville Police put out new appeal for tips to find Sage Smith
News Sources — National
NBC News / Dateline. (2018, December 3). Transgender teen Sage Smith still missing after vanishing from Virginia in 2012. Transgender teen Sage Smith still missing after vanishing from Virginia in 2012
NBC News / Dateline. (2019, June 28). Virginia police ask for public’s help in locating Erik McFadden, a person of interest in homicide of transgender woman Sage Smith. Virginia police ask for public’s help in locating Erik McFadden, a person of interest in homicide of transgender woman Sage Smith
NBC News / Dateline. (2025, November 25). Erik McFadden, a person of interest in the 2012 disappearance of Sage Smith from Charlottesville, located in Los Angeles. Erik McFadden, a person of interest in the 2012 disappearance of Sage Smith from Charlottesville, located in Los Angeles
Hannah, D. (2017, March 29). Sage Smith, transgender woman missing since 2012, now considered homicide case. Mic. Sage Smith, transgender woman missing since 2012, now considered homicide case
Advocacy & Nonprofit Sources
Black & Missing Foundation, Inc. (2014, November 19). Two years after Sage Smith’s disappearance, family wants answers over discrepancies in missing person cases. Two years after Sage Smith’s disappearance, family wants answers over discrepancies in missing person cases | BAMFI
Community United Effort (CUE) Center for Missing Persons. (n.d.). Dashad “Sage” Smith. Dashad “Sage” Smith – CUE – Community United Effort
Hope for Sage Smith. (n.d.). Hope for Sage Smith [Facebook page]. Facebook. Hope for Sage Smith (@hopeforsage) • Facebook
Case Databases & Research
The Charley Project. (2026, March 2). Dashad Laquinn Smith. Dashad Laquinn Smith – The Charley Project
The Disappeared Blog. (2022, May 20). Dashad Laquinn Smith aka Sage Smith. Dashad Laquinn Smith aka Sage Smith
Long-Form Investigative & Feature Writing
Eisenberg, E. (2017, July 24). ‘I am a girl now,’ Sage Smith wrote. Then she went missing. Splinter News / Jezebel. ‘I Am a Girl Now,’ Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing.
Stories of the Unsolved. (2020, May 2). The disappearance of Sage Smith. The Disappearance of Sage Smith – Stories of the Unsolved
True Crime Weekly. (2026, April 18). The disappearance of Sage Smith: More questions than answers. The disappearance of Sage Smith: More questions than answers
Hannah, D. (2012, December 3). Where is Sage Smith? HuffPost. Where Is Sage Smith? | HuffPost Voices
Television & Documentary
Disappeared. (2018, April 29). Born this way (Season 9, Episode 3) [TV series episode]. Investigation Discovery. Born this way
Social Media & Community Sources
Hope for Sage Smith [@hopeforsage]. (n.d.). Posts [Facebook page]. Facebook. Hope for Sage Smith (@hopeforsage) • Facebook
Dateline NBC [@DatelineNBC]. (2025, November). Charlottesville police track down Erik McFadden, a person of interest in the 2012 disappearance of teen Sage Smith [Post]. X (formerly Twitter). https://x.com/DatelineNBC/status/1993116828642480371